Even probably the most regular inventive abilities have one thing they really feel they have to apologize for of their careers. That’s nonetheless true on the 2025 film schedule, as a current occasion had The Lifetime of Chuck adaptor Mike Flanagan issuing his personal apology to Blumhouse mastermind Jason Blum. And because it seems, this story comes from an sudden undertaking: Flanagan’s 2016 prequel Ouija: Origin of Evil.
I say that that is sudden as a result of whereas most see the follow-up to 2014’s Ouija as a marked enchancment, there was one key class the image did not seize. Talking at an occasion on the newly christened SXSW London pageant (by way of Selection), Mike Flanagan defined this barely surprising mea culpa thusly:
It was actually enjoyable. However the humorous factor was that it actually underperformed in comparison with ‘Ouija’ one, so I killed that franchise, which I nonetheless need to apologize to Jason Blum for each time I see him.
I get that financials may be fairly a sensitive topic in terms of potential franchises. Seeing as director/co-writer Stiles White’s Ouija made $103.6 million worldwide, evaluating that determine to its prequel’s $81.7 million displaying does appear a bit unfavorable.
However even with a barely elevated manufacturing price range cited for the second movie, Mike Flanagan’s apology nonetheless appears a bit out of left discipline. As our personal Eric Eisenberg’s Ouija: Origin of Evil overview described the image as becoming right into a sample of “nice sequels to critically-reviled originals,” it is laborious to have a look at a film that achieves that feat as one thing inferior.
So whereas there was a slight dip within the cash that got here into the until, the reactions from critics and audiences may have been sufficient to take one other spin with the planchette. (Particularly after Origin of Evil’s darkish ending left the door open.) With this second Ouija entry on supply for these with a Netflix subscription, the fanbase for this image would possibly even be rising stronger at this very second.
In fact, if this occurred to happen with out the Physician Sleep helmer within the driver’s seat, that goodwill may have nonetheless evaporated. Which implies that even when a hypothetical Ouija 3 flamed out with out his involvement, the good-natured Mike Flanagan would have most likely apologized anyway.
That simply exhibits you the way subjective apologies may be, and clearly Jason Blum isn’t sweating Ouija’s failure to launch a brand new franchise. If he have been really upset, he most likely wouldn’t have tapped Mike Flanagan to take over the new Exorcist reboot, which follows the beautiful large flameout that was The Exorcist: Believer. Seeing as how that film killed an precise deliberate trilogy, Origin of Evil virtually appears like a “no hurt/no foul” state of affairs.
These of you seeking to let that Flanagan magic wash over it is best to head to the films this weekend. At the least, that’s for those who belief Stephen King’s overview of The Lifetime of Chuck, which is heading into huge launch this weekend. Now there’s a scenario the place an apology couldn’t be farther from the desk.